Can anyone suggest games that allow a great degree of exploration of the world? Dishonored allowed lots of exploring of sewers, buildings, etc. I love that aspect--where you are not on the clock and can appreciate a rich physical environment. Finding secrets and hidden rewards that the more hurried gamers pass by is especially appealing. Any candidates?

I agree with Spawn of Totoro, but I would also like to add some MMOs to the list, some require you to explore the map more than others which can sometimes reveal curious little easter eggs or nice pieces of environment.

Good 1...S.T.A.L.K.E.R. If you like Chernobyl, and want to actually go there and see for yourself the mess it caused, and the effects to the 'wildlife' then get playing it, There are 3 in the franchise:STALKER:Shadow of ChernobylSTALKER:Clear SkySTALKER:Call of Pripyat . . I own and have played all 3 and I prefer the 1st one, but there is Exploring to do, trading, guns and gun mods, faction wars, Mystery, and a BRILLIANT soundtrack which captures perfectly the desoluteness of the 30km exclusion zone around the Chernobyl Npp and nearby city of Pripyat. Discover what happened and the legacy of what that disaster had left behind as you and hundreds of other men known as STALKERS venture deep into the unknown 'changed' landscape known infamously as....'The Zone'.....

I would also recommend the Fallout and Elder Scrolls series. S.T.A.L.K.E.R. is good also. A lot of people might disagree with me on this but the first Mass Effect is my favorite of the series because of how open the world is and the immense amount of exploration. Dragon's Dogma is more linear than Elder Scrolls but still very big and open with lots to explore. Bethesda has really done a great job with Oblivion, Skyrim, Fallout 3 and New Vegas. Those are some of the most open and interesting worlds around. I have spent hundreds of hours exploring those games, I have over a hundred hours on Skyrim alone and I haven't beaten it or even come close yet. It just sends you spiraling on an adventure of unpredictability and fun(I know it sounds cheesy but true).

Hey I like the sound of Mass effect1 being 'open', only, I thought mass effect 3 was just another cra.ppy type of FPS like call of duty, more one-way, linear and rigid than an iron bar in deep freeze..can you really 'explore' around like you can in the afore-mentioned games?

In addition, I too find myself taking in the stunning vistas and panoramas that we seem to find in these 'explore-em-up' games, the beautiful screenshots that I have taken often end up on my desktop, love these kind of games. And yeah, I always prefer to spend infinity just mooching around discovering stuff, doing the missions a little bit at a time, levelling up etc, hunting, FUN!!

Mass Effect is this really awesome open world game, I was surprised myself. Mass Effect 2 was made after EA acquired the IP so the game became much more linear and shooter but the story is still good. The first one feels like a PC game where the other two feel console.

Deus Ex is an extremely linear first person stealth JRPG. I just got it and I don't think it is what you are looking for, definitely not what I am. Deus Ex has a very Resident Evil feel. Hey Mack, I'm not saying they are not good games because I have them both but they are not exactly open or explore friendly. Just Cause 2 is a very linear shooter. I'm not trying to grief you.

Mass Effect is this really awesome open world game, I was surprised myself. Mass Effect 2 was made after EA acquired the IP so the game became much more linear and shooter but the story is still good. The first one feels like a PC game where the other two feel console.

EA owned the rights for all ME games fom the start. It wasn't aquired by EA. EA told BioWare to make them and changed how they played. EA felt that more of a 3rd person shooter style would sell the game better becuase FPS games are "in" right now and have been a big market for many years now.

I also HATE the X-BOX and it's ''passes'' You already paid for the game, stop charging us more money, you cheeky B*****ds! Sorry for goin off topic, there hopefully, will be more open plan games being made, as 'lilnear' games are very low value-for-money. I play these FPS linear games, finish them in a day, and that was one hell of an expensive day. The Fallout fanchise, from #3 onwards is deffo what you're looking for, well worth the expensive cost (which new games are these days)

Who wants to spend 40-50 friggin quid on a game that's over in a day???? Not me! My golden tip for you, AVOID 'EA' LIKE THE PLAGUE....